⇐ 2004 | 2005 | 2006 ⇒

Intel Science Talent Search

Now in its 64th year, the Intel Science Talent Search (STS) is the oldest and most highly-regarded science competition in the United States. Midwood students have a long and distinguished record of superior performance in this "Junior Nobel Prize". In the year 2004, Midwood had three semifinalists and one finalist.

Finalists

• Olga Pikovskaya
  for her project "Structural Studies of Metabolite Sensing Messenger RNA". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Alexander Serganov of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute. The asteroid "1997 FZ3" was also renamed 21355 Pikovskaya in her honor by MIT's Lincoln Lab as a part of their Ceres Connection program.

Semifinalists

Steve Zwisohn (principal) Lena Liang,, Louis Tullo, Olga Pikovskaya, Alan Stack (teacher)

• Lena Liang
  for her project "Crystal Stucture of Multidrug Resistance Regulator NorR". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Yu-Ren Yuan of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.
• Louis Tullo
  for his project "A New Mechanism of Receptor Regulation: Ecto-Site Phosphorylation". He worked with Dr. Elizabeth Kornecki of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Published Papers

Three students this year coauthored academic works published in print, on-line, or both.

• Munif Hussain
  • Crystal Structure of the Putative Peptidyl-arginine Deiminase from Chlorobium tepidum, NESG Target CtR21 with F. Forouhar, A.R. Befeler, S.M. Vorobiev, M. Ciano, T.B. Acton, G.T. Montelione, J.F. Hunt, and L. Tong of Columbia University. Published in the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB-PDB), 16 November 2004.
  • Crystal Structures of Two Bacterial Hmg-Coa Lyases Suggest a Common Catalytic Mechanism Among a Family of Tim-Barrel Metalloenzymes Cleaving Carbon-Carbon Bonds. Farhad Forouhar, Munif Hussain, et al. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 5 December 2005.
  • Crystal Structure of Human HMG-CoA Lyase: Insights into Catalysis and the Molecular Basis for Hydroxymethylglutaric Aciduria. Zhuji Fu, Jennifer A. Runquist, Farhad Forouhar, Munif Hussain, John F. Hunt, Henry M. Miziorko, and Jung-Ja P. Kim. Journal of Biological Chemistry 17 March 2006.
• Jerard Kneifati-Hayek
  • Development and Validation of a Beta Thalassemia Screening Protocol. with L.H. Bernstein and A. Riccioli of New York Methodist Hospital. Published in the Online Abstract Submission and Invitation System (OASIS).
  • The ACC/ESC Recommendation for 99Percentile of the Reference Normal Troponin I Overestimates the Risk of an Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Novel Enhancement in the Diagnostic Performance of Troponin I. with S.A Haq, L.H. Bernstein, S.H. Silber, L. Banko, M. Schlefer, S. Shah, T.J. Sacchi, J.A. Puma. "6th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke." Circulation. 2005; 111; e310-e359.
• Olga Pikovskaya
  • Structural Basis for Discriminative Regulation of Gene Expression by Adenine-and Guanine-Sensing mRNAs. with Alexander Serganov, Yu-Ren Yuan, Anna Polonskaia, Lucy Malinina, Anh Tuân Phan, and Dinshaw J. Patel1 of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Claudia Hobartner and Ronald Micura of Leopold Franzens University; and Ronald R. Breaker of Yale University. Published in Chemistry and Biology, Vol. 11, 1729-1741, December 2004.

Siemens-Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition

The Siemens-Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition is a national research competition in the sciences and mathematics for high school students. Midwood had 4 semifinalists this year, more than any other high school in New York City.

Regional Finalists (Bronze Medal Winners)

• Genna Ableman and Maya Barsky
  for their team project "In vitro Simulation of Immunological and Biochemical Attack on Pancreatic Cancer-specific Antigen, PaCa-Ag1". They worked with Dr. Josef Michl of the Pathology Department at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
• Olga Pikovskaya
  for her project "Structural Studies of Metabolite Sensing Messenger RNA". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Alexander Serganov of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute.

Semifinalists

Back Row: Glenn Elert (teacher), Steve Zwisohn (principal) Lena Liang, Alan Stack (teacher), Ann Nicastri (teacher) Front Row: Maya Barsky, Genna Ableman, Olga Pikovskaya

• Genna Ableman and Maya Barsky
  for their team project "In vitro Simulation of Immunological and Biochemical Attack on Pancreatic Cancer-specific Antigen, PaCa-Ag1". They worked with Dr. Josef Michl of the Pathology Department at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
• Lena Liang
  for her project "Crystal Stucture of Multidrug Resistance Regulator NorR". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Yu-Ren Yuan of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.
• Olga Pikovskaya
  for her project "Structural Studies of Metabolite Sensing Messenger RNA". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Alexander Serganov of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute.

The Laureates of Tomorrow - Nobel Essay Contest

With the purpose of inspiring New York high school students to strive for the level of achievement represented by the Nobel Prize, a new essay contest has been initiated: The Laureates of Tomorrow - Nobel Essay Contest. The contest is a collaboration between the Consulate General of Sweden in New York, The New York Academy of Sciences, nobelprize.org, the New York City Department of Education, and the City University of New York.

Grand Prize Winner

• Michael Vishnevetsky
  was awarded the grand prize in Physiology/Medicine — a week-long visit to Sweden to attend the Nobel Week Festivities in December 2005 — for his essay "Gunter Blobel, 1999 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology/Medicine and Pioneer in Protein Targeting Within/out of the Cell".

New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF)

Congratulations to the 15 Midwood students that were selected to advance to the second round of NYCSEF. On March 15, semi-finalists will compete for cash, prizes and a chance to represent NYC at the 2005 International Science and Engineering Fair in Pheonix, AZ from May 7-13, 2005.

• Genna Ableman
  In Vitro Simulation of Immunological and Biochemical Attack on Pancreatic Cancer-specific Antigen, PaCa-Ag1
• Kristina Arthurs
  Antennular Grooming Behavior in the Spiny Lobster, Panulirus argus
• Maya Barsky
  In Vitro Simulation of Immunological and Biochemical Attack on Pancreatic Cancer-specific Antigen, PaCa-Ag1
• Alina Genis
  Haymaker Gene Expression in Normal and Malignant Cells: Effect of Cell Growth
• Munif Hussain
  Structural Basis of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Lyase (HL)
• Jerard Kneifati-Hayek
  Evaluation of Recommendation of the 99th Percentile of the Reference Normal Troponin I
• Sanjay Konakondla
  The Effective Expression of SDF-1Alpha (CXCL12) and CXCR4 (fusin) in Glioblastomas
• Lena Liang
  Crystal Structures of Multidrug Resistance Regulator NorR
• Geeta Malieckal
  Can Murine MCMS Functionally Replace a Subunit in the Yeast Replication Helicase (MCMS 2-7)
• Fatima Manzoor
  Identifying Genetic Polymorphisms Present in the LDL Receptor, apoB and apoE Gene in a Caribbean Hypercholesterolemic Population
• George Payyapilli
  Expression of Stat1 and Vaccinia VH1
• Olga Pikovskaya
  Structural Studies of Metabolite-Sensing Messenger RNA
• Anna Tse
  Psychoanalyzing Drawings by Students to Measure Agression
• Karen Yee
  Targeting Estrogen, Iron, and Their Receptors for a More Effective Chemoprevention
• Min Zheng
  Targeting Estrogen, Iron, and Their Receptors for a More Effective Chemoprevention

American Chemical Society Research Poster Session

On Saturday October 23, 2004, St. Joseph's College held a High School Science Competition sponsored by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society. Midwood sent 13 students to the competition and brought home 5 awards.

• Olga Pikovskaya
  received a 1st place award for her project "Structural Studies of Metabolite Sensing Messenger RNA". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Alexander Serganov of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute.
• Geeta Malieckal
  received a 2nd place award for her project "Can Murine MCM8 Functionally replace a subunit in the Yeast Replication Helicase(MCMs 2-7)?". She worked with Dr. Miriam H. Feuerman of the Department of Biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
• Genna Ableman and Maya Barsky
  received a 2nd place award for their team project "In vitro Simulation of Immunological and Biochemical Attack on Pancreatic Cancer-specific Antigen, PaCa-Ag1". They worked with Dr. Josef Michl, of the Pathology Department at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
• Lena Liang
  received honorable mention for her project "Crystal Stucture of Multidrug Resistance Regulator NorR". She worked with Dr. Dinshaw Patel and Dr. Yu-Ren Yuan of the Structural Biology Department at Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.
• Karen Yee and Min Zhang
  received honorable mention for their team project "The Effects of Estrogen, Iron and Their Receptors in Breast Cancer". They worked with Dr. Xi Huang of Public Health Laboratories.

⇐ 2004 | 2005 | 2006 ⇒